Major winners Mark O'Meara and Ben Curtis have been added to the strongest field assembled for next week's UBS Hong Kong Open.The American duo - both former British Open champions - will be making their debuts in the US$2.5 million (HK$19.5 million) event.
They are joined by South African ace Rory Sabbatini, reigning European Tour Order of Merit champion Robert Karlsson and previous Hong Kong winners Colin Montgomerie and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
The announcement means 14 of the world's top 50 players will compete at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fan Ling from next Thursday to Sunday. The line-up already includes world No4 Paul Casey, No5 Lee Westwood - the current leader of the European Tour's Race to Dubai series - and Asia's first Major winner, Yang Yong Eun.
O'Meara has 16 US PGA Tour victories and enjoyed an incredible year in 1998 when he won both the US Masters and British Open.
"I have always prided myself on playing all over the world, so to finally make my debut in Hong Kong Open is very special," he said.
"I'm also going to try my hardest to get an American name back on that trophy. The last US player to win was 14 years ago, so I'll be shooting to change that."
Curtis stunned the world in 2003 when, as a virtual unknown, he won the British Open at Royal St George's in Kent.
Taiwan's Lin Wen-tang is back to defend his title, along with the man he beat in last year's play-off, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. England's Ian Poulter, who rose to world No15 wi
